Chiming mechanism for clocks.



No. 699,303. Patented may s,- le'oz..

T. .1. Fox.

CHIMING MECHANISM FUR CLOCKS.

A(Application led Nov. 14, 1901.) (No Model.)

5 Sheets-Sheet l.,

lil I1 INV Wnesses: uzenor:

/@M/M Timms Ew Patented May 4(, i902 T;'J. FOX.

.CHIMING MECHNISM FR CLOCKS.

(Application led Nov. 14, 1901.) (No Model.)A 5 Sheets-Sheet l2 I ai f 13:1/ d.

G ZL

Il, 1E

v wenor: I7w

nwsJ Fox, Q% by E NoRms Pneus co, moro-umu.. wAsmNaToN, 0. e.

No. 699,303. Patented May 6, |902.

T. v.1. FUX.

CHUM-NG MECHANISM FDR CLOCKS.

(Application mea Nav. 14, 1901.) Y (llo Model.) "l 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

l -A Il v l l l LL.

No. 699,303. Patented May 6. |992.v

T. J. Fox.

CHIMING MECHANISM FOR CLOCKS.

(Application. filed Nov. 14, 1901.)

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

W'tnsses: gzwvenior:

mas 0.15,

f 1, @QQ/WW y y TH: Nonms Pneus co.. PuoraLrrHo.. wAsmNGT'ON, q.;

No. 699,303. Patented May 6, |902.

T. J. FOX. CHHMNG MECHANISM FOR CLOCKS.

(Application led Nov. 14, 1901.) (lo Model.) v 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 M mas '0.15, @m J/WML? L TH: Nonms PETERS co.4 PHo'roLlmo., wAsmNnToN, D. c

f vUNITED STATES PATENT FFTOF..

THOMAS J. FOX, OF BOSTON, MASSAOHUSFTTS, ASSIeNOR To BIGFLOW,

KFNNARD a co., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A FIRM.

CHIMING MEOHANI'SM FOR CLOCKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,303, dated May 6, 1902. Application filed'liovember 14,1901. v VSerial No. 82,305. (No model.)

T0 ctZZ whom, t may concern/r Be it known that LTHOMAS J. FOX, a citizen of the United States, residingat Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have `invented certain Improvements in Chiming Mechanism for Clocks, of which the following is a specilication.

Chiming-clocks for household use are usually provided with means whereby the chiming mechanism can be shut off or rendered inoperative whenever it is` desired that the chimes should remain silent-#for instance, at night-and for this purpose it has heretofore been customary to employ a'stop for locking the chiming-train and preventing the rotation of the chime-cylinder, which carries the pins for actuating the hammers or lifts. As, however, a different chime or scale is soundedfor each quarterhour, it follows that when the chiming mechanism has been Stopped or shut off and it is again desired to release it care must be taken to do so at a'time between the quarter-hour last struck and the one immediately following it. Otherwise a disarran gement of the chimes will be produced, necessitating the employment of a skilled person toproperly rearrange the mechanism, and as the time when the chiming mechanism was shutoff is not always remembered this disarrangement is an event offrequentoccurrence. To overcome this difiiculty is the object of my invention, which consists in the combination, with a chime-cylinder movable in the direction of its lengthr and provided with a series of hammer-actuating pins, of a Shifting or shut-off device for producing` an endwise movement of said cylinder to carry its entire `Series of pins out of line with the hammer le chimes being thus rendered impossible and the trouble and annoyance hitherto resulting from this cause entirely avoided.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a clock-movement provided with my improved chiming mechanism. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 isa plan View of the same, showing the chime-cylinder in the position which it occupies when its pins-are in line with the tails of the hammer levers or lifts, a portion of the hammer-lever-supportiug frame being broken away to show the parts behind the same. Fig. 4 is a Similar plan view showing the chime-cylinder moved in the direction of its length by the shut-off lever to carry its pins out of line or range with the tails of the hammer-levers to shut olf the chimes. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of a portion of the clockmovement, showing the chiming-train and its winding-barrel. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the clockmovement with the dial-plate and hands removed and portions of the front plate of the framework broken away to show parts behind the same.

In the said drawings,Arepresents the framework of a clockmovement,at the rear of which are suspended from a frame B in the usual manner a Series of tubular bells C,upon which the chimes are struck by a series of hammers D, the spring-Shanks 10 of which are secured at their lower ends to the frame B and are connected in theusual manner by cords Z7 with a series of hammer-actuating levers or lifts G, pivoted at c to a supporting-frame d and having angular tails e, adapted to be acted upon and depressed at the proper times by pins f,projecting fromahorizontally-arranged chime-cylinder H, fast on a shaft g, the journals of which are slidably supported in bearings h on the framework A to permit of a longitudinal movement of the cylinder H for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

To one end of the shaft g is secured a widefaced spur-gear 7s, with which meshes a horizontal crown-wheel m, secured to the upper end of a vertical shaft n, carrying at its lower end a bevel-gear 12, which meshes with a bevel-gear 15 on a shaft 16, carrying a pinion 17, which meshes with a gear 18 on the winding-barrel 19 of the chiming-train, around which is wound a cord 21,to which iS attached ICO the Weight 22, whereby when the chimingtrain is periodically released by the going or time train the usual rotations of the chimeeylinder will be produced to sound the chimes at the desired ti mes. The width ofthe teeth oi' the spur-gear 7a is su fficient to keep it in mesh with the crown-wheel m during the longitudinai movement of the cylinder li and its shaft g.

The chiming-train is periodically released by the tinie-train or going part in the Yfollowing manner:

'lo the minute-hand arbor 25 ot the timetrain is secured a toothed wheel 30, which meshes with a toothed wheel 3l, mounted on a stnd'32, and provided with four eqnidistant pins 33, said wheel 3l having secured to its hub a snail 34, having four steps, one for each quarterhouris a bellcrank level' fulcrumed at 3G, the lowei` arm of this lever extending into the path ot the pins 33, by which it is lifted bel'ore each quarter-hour, the upper arm of said lever carrying at its outer end an inclined :flat stop-plate 37, which extends through a slot 38 in the front plate ot the framework and is brought into the path of a pin 30 011 one ofthe wheels 4() of the chiming-train when the lever 35 is lifted by one of the pins 33, as described.

One of the arbors 41 of the ehimiug-train, which extends through the front plate, is provided with a crank-arm 42,which rests against a stoppin 43, projecting from a rack 44,which is pivoted at its lower end on a stud 45, and is acted upon by a spring 4G,whereby it is forced over to the left when released, said rack beingheld in the position shown in Fig. G by a retaining-pawl 47, which engages the last tooth of the rack. Against the under side of the pawl 47 bears a pin 4S, projecting from the upper arm of the lever 35, so that as said lever is raised by one of the Ipins of the wheel 3l the pawl 47 will be lifted to release the rack 44, which will then be swung over to the left by the spring 4G as far as permitted by a lever 49, connected with the rack 44, and pivoted on the same stud 45, the lever 49 having a pin 50,whieh when the rack 44 is released by the rise ofthe pawl 47 drops onto one ofthe steps of the snail 34, the distance of the step from the center of the snail determining the amount of movement to the left of the rack 44 when released. Then the rack 44 is released and moved to the left, its stop-pin 43 is moved out of the way ofthe crank-arm 42, thus releasing the chiming-train, which, however, is immediatelystopped by thepin 39 of the wheel 40 coming into contact with the stop-plate 37 of the lever 35, previously moved into the path of said pin, as before described, which is termed giving warning. /Vhen the minute-hand reaches the termination of each quarter-hour, the lever 35 has been moved upward by one of the pins 33 of the wheel 3l suflieiently to withdraw its stop-plate 37 'from under the pin 39 oi the wheel 40, which thus releases the chiming-train, when the chimecylinder will be revolved as required to sound the chimes.

The arbor 4l, which carries the crank-arm 42, is provided at the rear of said arm with a single-tooth or gathering pallet 52, which as the arbor revolves successively engages and takes up the teeth of the rack 44, moving it to the right a distance of one tooth at each revolution, the pawl 47 retaining the rack as it is gathered up, so that il' said rack when released has been moved to the left a distance of one tooth only it will require but a single revolution of the arbor 4l and tooth 52 to bring the stop-piu 43 again into a position to intercept the revolving arm 42, when the chiming-train will be stopped rcadyto be again released by the next pin 33 of the wheel 3l, as before described. Then the minute-hand poin ts to the hour, the pin 50 of the lever 49 will drop onto the lowest step olf the snail 34, and the rack 44 will then be swung over to its extreme limit, when it will require four revolutions of the arbor 4l and pallet 52 to gather up the rack sul'liciently to bring its stop-pin 43 into position to intercept the crank-arm 42 of said arbor and stop the chiming-train, the amount of rotation ot' the chime-cylinder being in this manner-increased at each succeeding quarter-hour to produce the'particular chime belonging thereto.

The above-described mechanism whereby the chiming-train is periodically released by the time-train is ofthe usual well-known coustruction and forms no part of my present invention.

rlhe striking-train is released to sound the hour after the chimes have been sounded by the usual mechanism, which is not here shown.

The pinsj are arranged around the cylinindcr H in the usual manner to produce the appropriate scale or chime at the termination of each quarter-hour or other desired divisional part of an hour, and each lever or lift G is returned to its normal position aiter a piu f has passed out of contact with its tail e bya flat spring p, secured to the frame Z and bearing against said lever. The chime-cylinder H is retained in `its chime-operating position with its pins j' in line with the tails e ol the levers G by a flat spring (l, which bears against one end of the shaft g, and against the opposite end of this shaft bears the upper end of a shut-ott lever I, fulcrumed on a stud fr, projecting from the framework A, the lower arm of the lever I being provided with a spring pin or handle S, which projects outwardly through a slot t in the clock-dial K, as shown in Fig. l, where it can be easily reached by the hand, the lever being held in either of its extreme positions by the pin s falling into a round notch 2O at the end ofthe slot. Then it is desired to shut oft' the chimes, so that they will remain silent, as is often required, the lever I is moved by means of its pin s in the proper direction to cause TOC) TIO

its upper end to act on the end of the shaft g, and thereby move .the cylinder H in the direction of its length against the resistance of the springv q a suflicient distance to carry all of its pinsj' out of line or .range with the lever-tails e, thus leaving the chime-cylinder H free to revolve at each quarter-hour, as usual,'but Withoutacting on the tails of the hammer-actuating levers, and consequently as there isv no locking up or interruption of the periodical operation of the chime-cylinder it Will be obvious that the proper relative positions of its pins f with respect to the tails e of the hammer levers or lifts at each quarter-hour will remain undisturbed, so that they will always be ready to sound the proper chime or scale belonging to each quarter-hour Without'regard to the time at Which the shut-off lever I might happen to be moved to shift the cylinder H back to its normal chiming position, making it entirely unnecessary to recollect the,y particular time at which the chimes were shut off, as has always been necessary with any shut-off device hitherto in use in order that the proper chime might be struck at the next succeeding quarter-hour, and by thus renderingit impossible to disarrange the chimes much trouble and expense are avoided, as it has hitherto often 'become necessary to send long distances for skilled persons to rearrange the chiming mechanism when out of order.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In achiming-clock, the combination with a time mechanism, of the chimes, a hammermechanism therefor, a chime-cylinder having pins for actuating the hammer mechanism, means permanently geared to the chime-cylinder for rotating it, means whereby the pins on the chime-cylinder and the hammer mechanism may be thrown into and out ot operative relation with respect to each other, and means for periodically releasing or setting in action the chime-cylinder-rotating mechanism from the time mechanism to sound the chimes, whereby, when the cylinder-pins and the hammer mechanism are thrown out of operative relation, the periodical revolution of the said cylinder-will continue .in regular order with respect to the hammer-operating mechanism. .f

2. In a chiming-clock, the combination with a time mechanism, of the chimes, a hammer mechanism therefor, a chime-cylinder having pins for actuating the hammer mechanism,

means for moving the cylinder bodily to throw its pins into and out of the path of the hammer mechanism, means permanently geared to the chime-cylinder for rotating it, and

means for periodically releasing or setting in v action the chime-eylinder-rotating mechanism from the time mechanism to sound the chimes, whereby when the chime-cylinder is moved to throw its pins out of operative relation with the hammer mechanism, its periodical revolutions will continue in regular order with respect to the hammer-operating mechanism Without disturbing` the relative relation ot' its pins to the hammer-actuating mechanism. s

3. In a chiming-clock, the combination with a time mechanism, of the chimes, a hammer mechanism therefor includinghammer-levers, a longitudinally-movable chime-cylinder provided With a series of pins for actuating the hammer-levers, means for moving the cylinder longitudinally to throw its pins into and out of the paths of said hammer-levers, means permanently in gear with said chime-cylinder for rotating the same, means for periodically releasing or setting in action the chime-cylinder-rotating mechanism from the time mechanism, whereby longitudinal movement of the chime-cylinder will not interfere with its rotary movement and thus the relative relationof the cylinder-pins and ham mer-levers be maintained. v

4. In a chiming.clock, the combination with a time mechanism, of the chimes, a hammer `mechanism thereforincluding ham mer-levers,

a longitudinally-movable chime-cylinder provided with a series of pins for actuating the hammer-levers, a spring holding the cylinder with its pins in register With the hammer-levers, a shut-off lever to move the chime-cylinder against the action of its spring, a wide gear on the chime'cylinder, a driving pinion or gear in permanent mesh With said Wide gear and forming part of the chime-train, Whereby the chime-cylinder will be rotated whenever released Without any relative change be- IOG tween its pins and the hammer-levers, and means forperiodically releasing the chime-A f train from the time mechanism.

Witness my hand this 11th day of Novem l In presence ofv P. E. TEscHEMAcHER, 1?. B. SPAULDING. 

